


Taking a (Second) Chance

by hazelNuts



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, Minor Angst, Past Amelia Richardson/Sam Winchester, Past Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Past Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester, Past Relationship(s), Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 15:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18672565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: When Sam comes back from his run the morning of Valentine’s Day, he finds a big box of chocolates and a card with a cryptic message waiting for him. The message implies that it’s from one of his exes, and throughout the day Sam thinks about his past relationships to figure out who the Valentine might be from.Sam’s never more grateful for his first-floor apartment than after a good run and his legs feel two flights of stairs away from jelly. He’s so eager for his shower and breakfast that he almost misses the big pink heart leaning against the wall next to his door. He frowns at it for a moment, not sure of what he’s actually seeing, before he picks it up. It appears to be one of those standard, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates available everywhere in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.‘Oh,’ Sam breathes. It’s Valentine's Day. He’d almost forgotten.NOTE: I REALIZED THE ART WASN'T SHOWING (AT LEAST IT WASN'T FOR ME) BUT I FIXED THAT SO NOW IT SHOULD SHOW FOR EVERYBODY (please tell me if it doesn't)





	Taking a (Second) Chance

**Author's Note:**

> If you think I forgot any tags, please let me know in the comments.
> 
> This was written for [spnholidayreverseminibang](https://spnholidayreverseminibang.tumblr.com/).  
> The beautiful art is made by the wonderful [Dayas](https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com/)! Thank you so much for the inspiration and for organizing this event!

 

Sam slowed his pace to a walk as he rounded the corner onto his street. He checked his watch. Almost 7AM. That’s slightly less than 30 minutes for 2.5 miles. Not bad. He waves at Mr Krasinski stepping outside to walk his dog. Mr Krasinski nods at him in acknowledgement, but Daisy gives a short bark and wags her tail so hard her entire body wags with it. Sam gives her pat on the head as he walks past her and Mr Krasinski into the apartment building, a smile on his face. Not a bad start of the day. Not bad at all.

With the help of the stairs and the railing, he does a quick stretch, waving at Mrs Krasinski who he knows is watching. He’s never more grateful for his first-floor apartment than after a good run and his legs feel two flights of stairs away from jelly. He’s so eager for his shower and breakfast that he almost misses the big pink heart leaning against the wall next to his door. He frowns at it for a moment, not sure of what he’s actually seeing, before he picks it up. It appears to be one of those standard, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates available everywhere in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

‘Oh,’ Sam breathes. It’s Valentine's Day. He’d almost forgotten.

‘Who’s it from?’

Sam jumps. Mrs Krasinski is leaning out of her front door. There’s a cheeky smile on her face and her eyes are gleaming. You’d think this was the most romantic thing she’d ever seen, but Sam knows that despite his grumpy appearances Mr Krasinski still romances his wife after almost 30 years of marriage. It’s probably because he knows how much his wife loves romance. Sam’s seen the stacks of romance novels that woman devours.

‘I don’t know.’

‘Well, read the card, boy!’ Mrs Krasinski walks over to him and peers eagerly at the little card, tied to the box with red ribbon.

‘Right.’ Sam smiles and rolls his eyes at himself. He’d totally missed the little card, a heart folded in half, red on the outside and white on the inside. Inside, it reads: _Sam, Happy Valentine_ _’s Day_. Simple, to the point, and no clue as to who the sender is. He flips the card over, hoping for more clues there.

 _Time is not something we can catch up on, but I hope it_ _’s something I can make up for. Will you meet me in Broward Park, on the bench by the big ash tree? I_ _’ll be there at 8PM tonight. We can talk over dinner._

 

 

‘It doesn’t say,’ Sam says. His hands feel numb and he has to clutch at the card and the box of chocolates to not let them drop to the ground.

Mrs Krasinski sighs. ‘It sounds like a former lover. How romantic!’ She smiles and giggles like a little kid in a candy store who’s just been told they can have whatever they want. She pats Sam’s arm as she says, ‘You let me know how it goes, okay?’ Then she winks and goes back into her own apartment.

Sam watches her go with bemusement. He hopes he’ll still believe in love and romance as much as she does in 30 years.

Remembering that he has a job to get to in an hour and that he still has to shower and eat breakfast, he shakes his head in an attempt to clear it, and quickly goes inside. He puts the box of chocolates on the dinner table, determined not to think about it too much for now.

Turns out, trying to not think about the Valentine or the cryptic message is like trying not to think about pink elephants by telling yourself not to think about pink elephants. The list of people it could be from isn’t too long, and at the top of it is definitely Dean. It would be just like him to send Sam something like this as a prank. He’s probably got a whole thing planned for the meet-up. Something super embarrassing that he’s going to capture on camera and send to Sam every Valentine’s Day for the rest of their lives.

So the first thing Sam does when he gets out of the shower is call his brother. He can’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction at his revenge when Dean complains that he woke him up.

‘Thanks for the Valentine.’

 _‘What?_ _’_ Dean’s voice is still rough from sleep.

‘The card was a nice touch.’

 _‘What the hell are you talking about?_ _’_

‘The box of chocolates with the card you left at my door this morning,’ Sam says, rolling his eyes at Deans feigned ignorance. ‘Real funny.’

 _‘You think I_ _’d get up before the asscrack of dawn to leave you chocolates?_ _’_

Sam hesitates. Dean has a point. He takes any opportunity to sleep in.

 _‘Especially since I_ _’m not alone in my bed?_ _’_ Dean adds pointedly.

‘Well, if it wasn’t you, then who?’ Same asks, a little annoyed at his brother for making more sense within a minute of waking up than he does after a run and a shower. ‘Who would play a prank like this?’

Dean is silent for a moment. His voice is hesitant when he says, _‘Maybe it_ _’s not a prank. Kind of an asshole prank._ _’_

‘I guess you’re right.’

 _‘I_ _’m offended I was the first person you thought of. I_ _’m not that much of a dick._ _’_

Sam chuckles. ‘No, you’re not.’ He looks at the card, turns it over, then checks the box. There are no clues as to who it’s from, aside from the hints to a shared past. ‘But then who’s it from?’

 _‘Read me the card._ _’_

Sam reads him the cryptic message.

 _‘Well, sounds like one of your exes has still got it bad for you._ _’_ Dean somehow sounds both proud and a little mocking. _‘That_ _’s either really sweet or extremely creepy. You going?_ _’_

Sam groans and pulls his hand through his hair. ‘I don’t know. Maybe?’

 _‘If you do, let me know. And promise me you won_ _’t go alone,_ _’_ Dean quickly adds.

‘Awww, are you worried?’ Sam teases, but he feels grateful for Dean’s words. The familiar protectiveness and his own teasing bleeds some of the tension away.

 _‘Shut up,_ _’_ Dean grumbles. _‘For that I_ _’m not gonna come save you when you get kidnapped._ _’_

This time Sam laughs out loud. They both know Dean will come running if he thinks Sam is in real trouble.

‘Alright.’ Sam turns over the card again, hoping to see something he missed. ‘Sorry for waking you.’

 _‘Bring beer the next time you come over and we_ _’re good. And none of that microbrew crap,_ _’_ Dean adds with a grumble and hangs up.

Sam puts down his phone, and realizes he’s going to be late if he doesn’t leave in five minutes. He throws on his suit, grabs some fruit and a granola bar for breakfast and sprints to the door. On a whim, he turns around and throws the Valentine’s card in his bag.

The commute to his office is an extremely boring, twenty minute bus ride. Most passengers look like people with a 9 to 5 office job, like himself. There are a couple students, but even they aren’t awake enough to make this ride any more interesting. Sam eats his breakfast, staring out the window, thinking about the list of potential senders for the Valentine. The list really isn’t that long. He’s dated plenty, but there’s barely a handful of his relationships that he would actually call a Relationship.

Jess was his first real girlfriend. His high school sweetheart.

 

~

 

‘Wait! Don’t look!’ Jess races to her wardrobe, blonde curls flying behind her. She uses her body to shield something from Sam’s gaze. ‘You can’t see it yet! It’s bad luck.’

Sam laughs and shakes his head, but dutifully closes his eyes. ‘I thought that was just for weddings.’

‘Fine, it’s not bad luck,’ Jess admits. There’s a shifting of fabric against fabric and the rattling of clothes hangers. ‘I just want it to be a surprise.’

Sam shakes head again. ‘Can I open my eyes yet?’

‘One second… Okay, yes.’

Jess’ face is flushed and she tucks a stray curl behind her ear. Sam has to walk up to her and kiss her. It’s not a very long kiss with the open bedroom door a glaring presence at his back.

‘You pick up your tux yet?’ Jess asks as they settle down to do their homework.

‘Yesterday,’ Sam says. He grabs his history textbook out of his bag and starts leafing through it, looking for the chapter on the Cold War. ‘And I got a dark green bowtie, like you told me.’

Jess leans over and plants a kiss on his cheek. ‘Thank you,’ she says with a smile. ‘We’re going to be the handsomest couple at the dance.’

‘No one will be able to hold a candle to us,’ Sam agrees. ‘Especially with you in that white and green dress.’

‘You said you wouldn’t look!’

‘You were too slow,’ Sam grins. ‘Can’t believe they let you on the track team.’

Jess grabs a pillow and hits him in the shoulder with it. She narrows her eyes and tries to glare at him, but it’s to obvious that she’s suppressing a smile.

‘Still faster than you, though,’ she reminds him.

‘One day I’ll beat you in a sprint.’

 

~

 

Jess’ dad had gotten a promotion two weeks after the Winter Formal their Junior year. They had to move across the state for it. Sam had been heartbroken, but he knew Jess was right when she said it’d be better if they broke up. They were still teenagers. They’d be going to college in a year. And it wasn’t like they couldn’t keep touch, but a long-distance relationship at that time would almost definitely be more painful than breaking up and being friends instead.

Jess was his first serious relationship, and perhaps that was why she was almost the first person to pop into his head when he thought of possible senders of the Valentine, even if it definitely wasn’t her. They became friends, just as they planned, and stayed friends, to the point where Jess had invited him to her wedding last year.

He’s still thinking of Jess’ beaming face when she’d walked down the aisle to her soon-to-be-wife, Bela, and of the little stab of jealousy he’d felt in that moment--not jealousy of Bela, but of what he saw in the eyes of the two brides--when his stop is called and he has to hurry before the doors close on him. The cold wind is refreshing after the damp heat of the bus. He huddles into his coat and joins the stream of people heading for the offices on this block.

Sam likes to arrive early. It not only looks like excellent work ethic, but it also means he can make his own coffee and won’t have to drink the reheated swill his colleagues make just yet. The only other people already there are a couple of interns. He drops his things at his desk, then heads for the breakroom. He smiles at the sight of the clean and empty coffee pot.

‘Should I set out the cups?’ Patience, one of the interns, asks.

‘Sure.’

The interns learn very quickly it’s best to wait for Sam to make the coffee. Partly because it allows them to get a head start on the thousand little jobs they have to do each day, but also because his coffee is amazing.

Patience sets out the mugs, then disappears again to get back to her work, leaving Sam alone with the spluttering coffee maker.

His mind drifts back to the Valentine left on his doorstep, and with that to someone else on the list. It’s nice to think it might be from Amelia, but the chances of it being from her are only slightly bigger than it being from Jess. Which is still basically non-existent.

The summer before law school, he’d needed to get away from everything. As cliché as it sounds, he’d felt lost and needed to find himself again. So he’d done what most people do in a situation like that: he’d gone back to nature. A month of hiking in the Pacific Northwest sounded like heaven at the time. And then he’d bumped into Amelia, a woman only a year older than him, who was walking the trails with her dog, Riot.

 

~

 

‘You gonna help me with this?’ Amelia asks.

Sam looks up from his tug of war with Riot. Amelia is setting up their little camping stove so they can have a hot lunch. Despite it being summer, there’s a chill in the air this far north and this close to the ocean.

‘Should I help her?’ Sam asks Riot.

Riot’s answer is a growl and another tug on the stick.

‘I think that means no,’ Sam says, grinning brightly.

‘Really?’ Amelia stands up straight crossing her arms over her chest. She raises her eyebrows and the corner of her mouth ticks up in a smirk. Her hair is wild and curly, her clothes not entirely clean anymore, and her boots are caked in mud. She looks kind of amazing. Sam almost lets go of the stick so he can go over and kiss her, but Riot tugs hard enough on it to almost make him stumble forward. Digging his heels into the forest floor, Sam leans back a little.

‘Dinner!’

Before Sam can shift his balance Riot has let go of the stick, and he’s on the ground.

‘That was dirty,’ he grumbles, scrambling up and wiping the mulch and mud off his ass.

‘I have no idea what you mean,’ Amelia says, smiling beatifically. She sets down Riot’s bowl of food and ruffles his fur. ‘Good boy.’

Sam laughs and shakes his head. He did kind of deserve it. He joins Amelia on the log they’re using as a bench this lunch. He brushes the curls away from her face and plants a kiss on her cheek.

‘I’ll make dinner.’

‘I know,’ she says, and takes a big bit of her sandwich with that smile still lingering on her lips.

 

~

 

It hadn’t been heaven. Four weeks of humidity, blisters, and daily tick-checks can’t really be called heaven, but it had been good and exactly what he needed. He had, for lack of a better term, found himself. Part of that was Amelia, and knowing that he’d helped her do the same. They’d needed each other in that moment. And then the moment was over. They’d said goodbye and gone their separate ways. They don’t even really keep in touch, aside from the occasional like or comment on Facebook.

So Amelia wasn’t really an option. Even if she had been, Sam’s not sure he would’ve taken her up on it.

The coffee maker finishes its sputtering and he pours out the coffee, sets the mugs on a tray excepting one, and with perfect timing Patience appears to take the tray and supply all the interns with fresh coffee. Sam starts up a new pot, then heads to his desk.

He’s busy enough that he doesn’t have time to think any more on the Valentine until his lunch break. He heads to the café down the street where he orders a sandwich and a juice, then finds a seat and waits for Charlie, who does IT at the firm. He’s barely started on his sandwich when she walks in.

‘Dean called me,’ she says, once she sits down, stuffing a chocolate croissant in her mouth.

Sam frowns, mostly at the other two croissants on Charlie’s plate than at what she said.

‘He said you got a Valentine from an ex-lover,’ Charlie continues. She waggles her eyebrows in expectation. ‘You figure out who it’s from yet?’

Sam shakes his head. ‘There’s a couple people who it might be, but none of them are very likely. Mostly because they’re already in a relationship.’

‘Eileen’s still single.’

Eileen isn’t the one who got away, even if Charlie and Dean both like to call her that. Eileen is an almost. He’d met her when he’d gone for drinks with a couple of colleagues one Friday night. He’d tried to get her attention, but she hadn’t responded to anything he said. He’d just decided to give up and go back to his group, when she’d turned around, visibly startled at finding someone next to her, and asked him how long he’d been there in ASL. Sam’s own signing had gotten a little rusty since high school, but that quickly improved when they started meeting up at least once a week.

 

~

 

He waits until Eileen’s thrown the last of her darts, before tapping her on the shoulder and handing her a new beer.

‘I’m still gonna kick your ass,’ she signs. ‘No matter how drunk you get me.’

Sam pretends to be affronted, but she’s not wrong. She could out-dart him after an entire bottle of tequila, and barely able to stand up straight. Which she’s done once for a bet.

‘But thanks for the beer,’ Eileen continues, and with a grin she takes a long pull from her drink.

‘My turn,’ Sam signs, and pulls the darts from the board.

Before he gets a chance to throw his first one, Eileen taps him on the shoulder to remind him that if he loses, again, he’ll owe her lunch for a week.

‘So remember what’s at stake,’ she signs, her face serious.

‘My wallet?’

Eileen laughs. ‘No. The pleasure of my company for a whole week.’

Sam roles his eyes and turns back to the board. His throws aren’t bad, but his score remains just below Eileen’s. He blames it on the darts. Eileen blames it on the fact that he’s just not as good as her. To himself, Sam admits that it might be a combination of both, plus the way Eileen’s eyes sparkle when she’s teasing him like that.

 

~

 

‘She’s also on the other side of the planet,’ Sam reminds Charlie.

Eileen was doing a research project and writing a book about the transformation of European myths and folktales that were brought to America. She’d finished her research in the States a couple months ago, and left for Europe to research their versions of tales. They’d never quite gotten to the dating part.

‘Maybe she’s keeping it a surprise,’ Charlie suggests with a shrug. She tears her second croissant in half, but pauses before she puts it in her mouth. ‘Or maybe not. She’s not a big fan of surprises.’

Sam snorts. That’s an understatement. Eileen hates them.

‘So probably not Eileen.’

‘Probably not, no.’

‘And from the sound of it you’ve already crossed a couple others off your list of exes.’ Charlie frowns, looking thoughtful. She chews slowly, her gaze fixed on a spot on the wall next to Sam’s head. ‘Anyone else you think it might be?’ Her eye grow big and excited, her smile teasing. ‘Anyone you _want_ it to be?’

Sam huffs and takes a sip of his juice.

‘What are you and Dorothy doing today?’ he asks to change the subject.

He forcibly pushes the Valentine to the back of his mind for the rest of the day by throwing himself into his work. If anything good came of that thing, it’s that he’s gotten a lot of work done because of it. On his way home he chooses the least romantic playlist he can find. He pauses at his front door to check if Mrs Krasinski is waiting for him, to at least avoid thinking about the Valentine, and his possible date tonight, until he’s inside his apartment. He trudges up the stairs, slips inside, and then he can’t avoid it any longer. The box is right there, in the middle of his dinner table. A huge heart. Ribbons in a pile next to it. He fishes the card out of his bag and lays it on top of the box. With a groan he sits down.

What is he going to do? He still has over an hour before this person wants to meet, but getting to the park will take at least half an hour, so he needs to decide within the next 15 minutes for the minimal amount to get ready.

He gets out his phone. His finger hovers over the call button, then with a curse he presses it.

 _‘You going?_ _’_ Dean asks.

‘I don’t know.’

 _‘I_ _’m not gonna tell you what to do, but_ _… Do you think you could put it behind you if you didn_ _’t go?_ _’_

‘I…’ Sam sighs. ‘Probably not.’

 _‘Definitely not,_ _’_ Dean chuckles. _‘I know you, Sammy. It_ _’s going to eat you up if you don_ _’t find out who it_ _’s from. And, hey, you can always leave if it_ _’s from the person you think it_ _’s from, right?_ _’_

‘But what if it is from… that person?’

Dean is quiet for a while. _‘I don_ _’t know. I guess that_ _’ll depend on whether you want to punch or kiss this person more._ _’_

Sam lets out a humourless chuckle. He sighs and drags a hand through his hair. He hates to admit it, and he’s not going to say it out loud, but Dean’s right. He needs to go, if only because he’ll go insane from the “what ifs” if he doesn’t.

‘I’ll call you in an hour if I haven’t been murdered or kidnapped.’

 _‘Thanks,_ _’_ Dean chuckles. _‘And, Sammy?_ _’_

‘Yeah?’

 _‘I know you_ _’re an adult and a giant, but you know I_ _’d still kick anyone_ _’s ass for you, right?_ _’_

‘I know.’

They say goodbye, and Sam checks the clock. He has about twenty minutes before he needs to leave.

The note mentioned dinner, but not where. The safest choice would be a nice jacket, dark-wash jeans, and a button up. Unless the plan is a super fancy restaurant. Which doesn’t seem very likely. For any of the people on his list.

‘You look nice,’ Mrs Krasinski says. She’s waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, her husband and Daisy next to her. She’s smiling brightly, and the look in her eyes is almost tender as she looks him up and down.

‘Thank you,’ Sam says, truly grateful for the compliment. Even if this ends up being a disaster, at least he looked good. He reaches the bottom step, and suddenly Mrs Krasinski is there, straightening his jacket. He feels like he did the night of his prom, when Dean kept straightening his tie for him. Finally, the woman steps back with a satisfied nod. Even Mr Krasinski gives him a terse nod of approval.

‘Tell me all about it tomorrow,’ Mrs Krasinski says. ‘Unless you’re not here tomorrow,’ she adds with a wink.

Sam flushes and quickly heads for the door after an encouraging lick from Daisy over his fingers.

His initial plan was to take his car, but he’s so distracted and nervous, he would be a danger to everyone else on the road. Plus, depending on how this goes, he might be in need of a bar after meeting his Valentine. So he takes the bus and arrives a little earlier than anticipated. He sits down on the bench, digging his fingers into his legs. His nerves thrum, and he feels like he’s about to explode. He carefully looks at everyone walking in his direction. And then his heart stops. A storm of feelings rages through him. Anger, resentment, sadness, hope, happiness.

 _Thank god_ , is the first thing that pops into his head when his thoughts and feelings and memories stop tumbling over each other, and knows for certain it’s Gabriel.

 

~

 

‘Your teeth are gonna fall out of your head before you hit forty,’ Sam says, stealing the Twizzler Gabriel was about to eat, and shoves it into his own mouth.

‘Hey!’

‘Like stealing candy from a baby,’ Sam grins.

Gabriel raises his eyebrows, then scrambles up from where he’d been curled against Sam’s side. Sam only has a second to regret doing something that made Gabriel move, because suddenly Gabriel is straddling him and manhandling him until he has Sam lying down underneath him.

‘I’ll have you know that my teeth are in perfect condition,’ Gabriel says. He leans down to kiss Sam, biting down on Sam’s lower lip to prove his point.

Sam rolls his eyes. ‘Then your arteries will be so clogged that your heart will give out.’ He reaches for the packet and shakes it in front of Gabriel’s face. ‘These things are bad for you. Especially in the quantity that you consume them.’

‘Oooh, big words from the lawyer man,’ Gabriel teases.

‘I just like the idea of you sticking around for a while,’ Sam admits, blushing. He squirms a little when Gabriel’s gaze softens, and his boyfriend sits up, allowing Sam to sit up as well.

‘You plan keeping me all that while?’ Gabriel asks, it’s almost teasing, but Sam knows him well enough by now to know it’s a serious question.

‘Yes.’

 

~

 

Sam’s avoided thinking of Gabriel the entire day. Because Gabriel’s the one that got away. The one Sam’s never been able to figure out. Things were going so well between them, incredible even, and then Gabriel started pulling away from him. He’d felt their relationship slipping away with no idea how to keep hold of it, until it was all gone. It happened so fast, just a matter of weeks, that it had left Sam reeling. It had happened the spring before he’d gone to law school, and was why he’d needed to get away, and why he’d been relieved Amelia hadn’t wanted anything serious either. He was a mess and needed to piece his heart back together before being able to trust anyone else with it again.

He stands up, wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. His heart is pounding. And for a second he’s twenty-one and back in his dorm room, staring at the door his boyfriend disappeared out of for the last time.

‘Hey, Sam.’

‘Gabriel.’

He looks good. His hair is a slightly darker blond, but his eyes are still the same, warm brown. He looks a little softer around the edges, no longer the skinny twenty-something. Must be all that candy, Sam can’t help but think, and he has to suppress a smile.

‘I didn’t think it would be you,’ Sam says.

Gabriel grimaces. ‘I can see why you’d think that.’

‘Why now? Why not-‘ he swallows the rest of the question. Why not four years ago? Or three? Or last year?

‘I… I have something I want to say first,’ Gabriel says. ‘If you’ll hear me out.’

Sam nods. He’s still reeling and maybe Gabriel’s little speech will allow him to gather his thoughts a little more.

‘I’m sorry,’ Gabriel says. ‘For what I did. I shouldn’t have left you like that. I should’ve…’ He drags a hand through his hair. ‘I should’ve told you the truth, instead of telling you I didn’t love you anymore.’

Sam’s breath catches in his throat. He’d known. Yes, Gabriel was impulsive, but he never just stopped loving someone. He’d known that, but it had been hard to believe with Gabriel’s words ringing in his ears, telling him that Gabriel didn’t love him and never truly did. Of everything Gabriel had said to him when he broke up with him, that had been the hardest to get over.

‘Because the truth is that I loved you so much it was overwhelming,’ Gabriel continues. ‘And I couldn’t handle it. I was too young and too stupid to handle that kind of love, and I got scared. Really fucking terrified. And I ran. And I hurt you.’ He grimaces again, like the memory of it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. ‘And I’m sorry.’

He falls silent, and it takes a moment for Sam to realize that he’s done.

‘How long have you been working on that speech?’ Sam asks.

‘Since about a month after we broke up and I realized what a colossal fuck up I’d committed.’

‘And it took you six years to complete?’ Sam teases.

Gabriel huffs. ‘Well, it’s not like I’m some fancy-pants lawyer trained at doing this kind of thing.’

‘So this was your closing statement?’

‘More like an opening statement,’ Gabriel says. He looks down, then peaks up from under his eyelashes. ‘I hope.’

‘You know, Dean told me that I should base my choice on whether I wanted to punch or kiss you more.’

‘And?’

‘Well, I definitely don’t want to punch you,’ Sam says. ‘Jury’s still out on the kissing. And, as a fancy-pants lawyer, I can tell you that wasn’t too bad as an opening statement. There’s definitely some things you can work on, though.’ He smiles and holds out his hand. ‘We can talk about those things during that dinner I was promised.’

The relieve on Gabriel’s face is obvious when he takes Sam’s hand, and starts leading him out of the park.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


End file.
